Bird feeder

ABSTRACT

A bird feeding device comprising a hollow dome-shaped container for holding food; a food dispensing tray for closing the bottom of the dome-shaped container and dispensing and holding food; a closure with a suspending chain or rope for closing the top of the dome-shaped container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of devices for feeding animals, and more particularly to devices which are hung on a tree or supported on a pole for feeding relatively small birds, such as finches, chickadees, blue birds etc. without waste of the feed.

[0002] While the prior art encompasses numerous devices for automatically dispensing feed to fowl, such devices have numerous defects and disadvantages which are obviated by the present invention. The following U.S. Pat. Nos. are exemplary of such prior art devices: 2,464,644 to Kwosh; 2,667,858 to Cussotti; 2,804,844 to Gigliotti; 4,691,665 to Hefner; 4,732,112 to Fenner et al.; 5,062,388 to Kilham; 5,095,847 to Coffer; and 5,775,257 to Park. All prior art devices above involved too many parts, and the process of the assembly and disassembly during cleaning and/or repair is complicated and hard. Some of them also require tools to be assembled and disassembled.

[0003] The present invention overcomes these deficiencies and disadvantages in that it provides a new and improved bird feeder that involves less parts and can be easily and quickly assembled and disassembled without any tools.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention provides an animal feeding device that is particularly usable for feeding birds and which includes a container which defines a food reservoir for holding food to be automatically dispensed therefrom.

[0005] The animal feeding device preferably comprises three basic components, namely, a hollow dome-shaped container for holding food; a food dispensing tray for dispensing and holding food comprising a peripheral skirt and a central portion with a plurality of food dispensing channels around that extends upwardly from the tray into the lower extremity of the hollow dome-shaped container so as to close off the bottom of the hollow dome-shaped container and to provide a plurality of food dispensing openings; and a chain or rope for supporting or suspending the feeding device.

[0006] It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a bird feeder device wherein less component parts are involved than other general type of bird feeders, and the essential component parts are simplified and are easily and quickly assembled, disassembled, and replaced without using any tool.

[0007] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bird feeder device which dispenses food automatically without undue waste and can be inexpensively constructed mostly from beverage containers which are normally disposed of as solid waste.

[0008] These objects as well as other objects of the present invention will become more readily apparent after reading the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the bird feeder of the present invention.

[0010]FIG. 2 is a is a front elevational, exploded, view of the bird feeder of the present invention.

[0011]FIG. 3 is a front elevational, partially broken away and in section, view showing the mating of the hollow dome-shaped container, the food dispensing tray, and a supporting or suspending device.

[0012]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the food dispensing tray.

[0013]FIG. 5 is a top plan view showing the details of the food dispensing tray.

[0014]FIG. 6 is a front elevational, partially broken away and in section taken on line 1-1 of FIG. 5, view showing the details of the food dispensing tray.

[0015]FIG. 7 is a front elevational, partially broken away and in section taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 5, view showing the details of the food dispensing tray.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0016] Referring to drawings, particularly FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, reference numeral 10 generally designates the preferred embodiment of the bird feeder of the present invention. Still referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, bird feeder 10 generally comprises a hollow dome-shaped container 12, a food dispensing tray 22, an internally threaded nut 48, an externally threaded eyebolt 54, a cap 50, and a chain or rope 56.

[0017] As still best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, hollow dome-shaped container 12 includes an inner wall 14; an upper section 16 having an opening 20 surrounded by external threads (not numbered); and a lower section 18.

[0018] As best seen in FIGS. 4 through 7, a food dispensing tray 22 includes a lower tray section 38 having a peripheral skirt 40 with a plurality of small openings 42 and an upwardly extending marginal wall 44; and an upwardly extending central section 24 having a plurality of food dispensing channels 34, a lower annular portion 26 with a marginal shoulder 28 therein, a slightly tapered upper annular portion 30 with a plurality of grippers 32 therein, and a conically-shaped top portion 36.

[0019] The components of bird feeder 10 are best assembled from its exploded, separated, condition as shown in FIG. 2 to its assembled, joined, condition as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 in the following order:

[0020] a. First, the slightly tapered upper annular portion 30 and the conically-shaped top portion 36 of the food dispensing tray 22 are inserted within the lower section 18 of the dome-shaped container 12 until the plurality of gripper 32 penetrate the inner surface of the lower section 18 to form bumps to secure the dome-shaped container 12 and/or until edge (not numbered) of the lower section 18 engages the top of the shoulder 28 of the food dispensing tray 22.

[0021] b. The container 12 is filled with seed by pouring the same through the opening 20 of the container 12 with the seed being spread outwardly toward the food dispensing channels 34 of the food dispensing tray 22 due to the generally conical shape of the top portion 36 of the food dispensing tray 22.

[0022] c. The threaded eyebolt 54 is inserted through the central opening 52 in the cap 50, and the threaded nut 48 is threadedly engaged with the threads on eyebolt 54 to secure the cap 50 to eyebolt 54.

[0023] d. The eyebolt 54 is then engaged to chain or rope 56 for suspension of the bird feeder 10 from a tree limb or a standard.

[0024] When assembled as shown in FIG. 1 and with bird feed within the container 12, the combination of gravity and the conically-shaped top 36 of the food dispensing tray 22 forces the feed out towards the food dispensing channels 34 of the food dispensing tray 22 so that the feed goes down through the food dispensing channels 34 to the peripheral skirt 40 of the food dispensing tray 22 and birds standing on the edge 46 of the wall 44 of the tray 22 can peck the feed. The small opening 42 provide the passage for rain water.

[0025] It has been found that the container 12 and the food dispensing tray 22 of the bird feeder 10 can be held together by friction fit. The slightly tapered annular upper portion 30 accepts the lower section 18 of the container 12 of varying internal dimensions, and the grippers 32 secure the lower section 18 to the upper annular portion 30. It has also found that the container 12 can be made of used, plastic, soft drink bottles of the two and/or three liter size.

[0026] While a particular embodiment of this invention has been shown in the drawings and described above, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modifications, variations, and adaptations without departing from the proper scope and fair meaning of the accompanying claims. 

What I claim as my invention is:
 1. A bird feeder comprising: a reservoir for holding a supply of feed, said reservoir including an upper section having a neck portion with an opening therein and closure means, and a lower section having a central opening; a food dispensing tray for closing said central opening of said reservoir and dispensing feed, said food dispensing tray including a upwardly extending central section having a lower annular portion with a shoulder, a slightly tapered upper annular portion with a plurality of grippers, and a conically-shaped top, and a lower tray section having a closed bottom with a plurality of small openings therein and a upwardly extending wall.
 2. The bird feeder of claim 1 wherein said conically-shaped top of said upwardly extending portion of said food dispensing tray directs feed to said plurality of food dispensing channels of said upwardly extending portion of said dispenser tray so that the feed can be dispensed through said food dispensing channels to said lower tray section of said dispenser tray.
 3. The bird feeder of claim 1 wherein said slightly tapered upper annular portion of said upwardly extending section of said food dispensing tray accepts said lower end of said reservoir of varying internal dimensions.
 4. The birdfeeder of claim 1 wherein said plurality of grippers of said upwardly extending section of said food dispensing tray secure said lower end of said reservoir of varying internal dimensions to said slightly tapered upper annular portion of said upwardly extending section of said food dispensing tray.
 5. A bird feeder comprising: a reservoir for holding a supply of feed, said reservoir including an upper section having a neck portion with an opening therein and closure means, and a lower section having a central opening; a food dispensing tray for closing said central opening of said reservoir and dispensing feed, said food dispensing tray including a upwardly extending central section having a lower annular portion with a shoulder, a slightly tapered upper annular portion, and a conically-shaped top, and a lower tray section having a closed bottom with a plurality of small openings therein and a upwardly extending wall. 